Drying apparatus



July 18, 1933. w, QTTQ 1,918,927

DRYING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jvly 18, 1933. w. OTTO 1,918,927

DRYING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WERNER OTTO, OF BERLIN, GERMANY DRYING APPARATUS Application filed January 26, 1931, Serial No. 511,254, and in Germany Ian-nary 30, 1930.

This invention relates to drying apparatus, and more particularly to drying apparatus in which a current or jet of any suitable heated gaseous agent, such as heated air,

for example, is used as a drying medium, the object or thing to be dried being subjected to the'action of said current or jet.

In drying apparatus of the character referred to, it is desirable to project the heat- 13 ed air or the like in a relatively strong current or jet against the article to be dried so that in addition to the evaporation due to the heated air jet, said -jet or air current will act mechanically actually to blow liquid, in

15 the form of drops for 'example, from the article to be dried, thus reducing the amount of liquid to be evaporated by the heat action and expediting the process. It will be apparent however that all articles cannot be subjected with impunity to an air current of the velocity required to accomplish this purpose. One of the objects of the present invention is therefore to provide apparatus of the character referred to which shall deliver a current of heated air or other suitable gaseous drying medium of a velocity suited to all purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described in which the velocity of the current or jet delivered may be varied.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character referred to which shall be capable of delivering two or more currents or jets of heated drying medium, preferably of diflerentv'elocities.

The invention and the above referred to aims andobjects, with such others as may hereinafter appear, will be clearly under- 40 stood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of an embodiment of the invention herein described and shown for illustrative purposes, the true scope of the invention being more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. '1 is an elevation of one illustrative embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a modified construction, a part of the conduit wall being broken away to show the interior valve arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation comprising means to.divert the air current from the angularly disposed nozzle, a part of the wall of the heated air conduit being broken away to show the interior construction;

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show in longitudinal section, other convenient embodiments of the means shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modified construction.

I will now described my invention in its application to apparatus for drying the hand or/and face, but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be considered as limited to this specific use but that it may be applied to other drying uses without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the current of heated air or the like flows through a passage which in the illustrative embodiment of the invention, is conveniently formed by a conduit 2. The invention contemplates the use of any suitable means to supply said current of heated air. As illustrated in the drawings, blower means 4 may for example be conveniently provided for that purpose, said blower means being suitably connected to the conduit 2 and being of any suitable conventional construction. The heated air may be supplied to the apparatus from a suitable heated air supply, or the air may be heated in the apparatus itself by any suitable heating -means provided in the path of the air current, as illustratively shown in Fig. 8, wherein two electrical heating elements are diametrically represented at 6.

The heated air current of relatively high velocity is discharged from the opening or nozzle 8 of the conduit 2, said nozzle being preferably axially disposed relative to said conduit. This current will preferably be used for drying the hands. For drying the face however, it has been found preferable 95 to provide a current of less velocity and the invention contemplates the provision of suitable means for that purpose. While this may be accomplished in any suitable manner without departing from the scope of my invention I have found that the desired end may conveniently be attained by changing the direction of the air current in the apparatus, whereby the velocity of said air current will be reduced. As one illustrative means for this purpose the conduit 2, Fig. 1, may be provided with a cylindrical valve chamber 7 communicating with the conduit 2 and nozzle 8 and having a lateral opening provided with a nozzle 10 angularly disposed relative to said conduit. A shaft 12 is mounted for rocking movement in the end walls of said valvechamber and carries an arm 14 suitably connected at its free end to a segmental valve member 16. A spring 18 connected at one end to the arm 14 and at the other to the inner Wall of said valve chamber normally maintains the valve member 16 in position to close off communication between the valve chamber and the nozzle 10, leaving open communication between said chamber and the nozzle 8. In this position of the parts the stronger air current will be discharged from the noZzle 8 only. By turning the shaft 12 substantially 90 contraclockwise, by means of the handle 20 for example and maintaining it in that position, communication between the valve chamber and the nozzle 8 will be cut off and communication will be established between said valve chamber and the nozzle 10, the direction of the heated air current being thus changed by the action of said valve member and sup lied to the angularly disposednozzle 10 rom which it will issue with correspondingly diminished velocity. As other illustrative means for reducing the velocity of the heated air current issuing from the nozzle 10, the latter may be in the form of a truncated cone joined at its smaller end to the valve chamber, to permit expansion of the air jet issuing through said nozzle, or the same object may be attained by means of a foraminous closure 22 for example for the nozzle 10.

The above described apparatus will preferably be mounted with one nozzle directed downwardly and the other horizontally preferably the nozzle 8 will be directed downwardly and the nozzle 10 horizontally, said nozzles being at a convenient height for hand and .face drying respectively.

In Fig. 2, the side wall of conduit 8 is cut away along lines 24 and 26 and the lateral opening thus left is closed by an outwardly curved foraminous plate 28'. A transverse shaft 30 is mounted for rocking movement in the walls of the conduit 2 and coincides with the line of intersection of planes 24 and 26, and a partition 32 is coincident with the plane 24, thus forming a chamber back of the foraminous disk 28 which communicates with the interior of the conduit 8 at the bottom of said chamber only. Shaft 30 carries a valve member 34 and an exterior handle 36, said valve member being preferably normally maintained in the full-line position shown in Fig. 2, by a spring 38. With the valve member 34 in the full-line position, Fig. 2, the strong, heated air current will flow straight through the conduit 2 and out of its axial nozzle 8, but by turning the valve member 34 into the dotted line position in said figure, the direction of said air current will be changed and said air current will be discharged through the angularly disposed opening and foraminous disk 28 whereby its velocity will be diminished.

In Figs. 3 to 7, both inclusive, a valve member 40 is located in the conduit 2 above the lateral opening lea-ding to the angularly disposed face drying nozzle 10. Said valve member is carried by a shaft 42 journalled for rocking movement in the walls of the conduit 2 and conveniently controlled by an exterior handle 44 upon the end of the shaft 42. Said valve member 40 will preferably be normally maintained in the full-line position indicated in said figure and defined by a stop 46 diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 3. In this position the heated air current passes without deviation straight through the conduit 2 and the nozzle 8 with its full velocity, in spite of the fact that the passage to the angularly disposed face drying nozzle 10 is open, providing that the nozzle 8 be not restricted by being cone-shaped or in any other manner, and very little if any heated air will escape through the angularly disposed'nozzle 10. This construction has the special advantage that there is no throttling whatever of the straight passage of the full strength air current through the conduit 2 and its axially disposed nozzle 8. If desired means may be provided to prevent any part of the air current from escaping through the angularly disposed face drying nozzle 10 when the hand drying nozzle 8 is in use. Any ,suitable means may be provided for this purpose within the scope of the invention. In Fig. 4 for example, the wall of the conduit 2 is in= dented or drawn in at 48 below the nozzle 10,

whereby the air current will be diverted toward the center of the conduit 2. Or the same result may be obtained by extending the .Wall of the conduit 2 outwardly above the lateral nozzle 10 as shown at 50 in said figure.

Other illustrative arrangements for obtaining the same result are shown in Figure 5 for example where an inwardly inclined tongue 52 may be provided at the lower edge of the opening leading to the lateral nozzle 10, or a similar. but outwardly inclined tongue 54 may be provided at the upper edge of said opening; In Fig. 6 the conduit 2 1S widened at 56 and the air current passes through aconical mouthpiece 58 opposite the lateral opening leading to thenozzle 10. The conical outlet or mouthpiece 58 has the same effect as the tongue 52 or 54 in Fig. 5.; The same result may be obtained by, the

illustrative example shown in Fig. 7 wherein a shutterlike grid is provided in the opening leading from the conduit 2 to the nozzle 10. Said grid 60 has its members 62 directed transversely to the air current and so shaped and positioned that when the valve member 40 is open, full line position Fig. 7 any part of the air current passing through the conduit 2 that might tend to escape through the opening leading to the nozzle 10, is prevented from so doing and caused to move along with the main current toward the nozzle 8. The arrangement of the shutter members of the grid 60 is such that when the valve member 40 is closed (see dotted line position Fig. 7), they allow substantially free passage to the air current directed through the opening leading to the nozzle 10 and cause the said current to pass through said opening substantially' parallel to its axis. As the grid members 62 divide or break up the air current a grid or foraminous plate over the outlet of tlge nozzle 10 may be dispensed with if desira le.

In Fig. 8, the heated air current is driven by a blower 4 or from any other suitable source through the two conduits 64 and 66. The conduit 64 issues laterally from the upper portion of the conduit 66 and is then directed downwardly substantially parallel to the conduit 66,.the lower port on of the latter being turned upwardly so that the lon itudinal axis of its nozzle 68 coincides with that of the nozzle 70. of the conduit 64.

. The latter conduit is provided with a lateral or angularly disposed nozzle 72 and a valve member 74 mounted upon a transverse shaft journalled in the side walls of said conduit and controlled for rocking movement by an exterior handle 7 6 secured to one end of said shaft. Air heating means may be provided in-the apparatus. Said air heating means may be of any suitable type and herein conveniently comprises electrical resistances 6 suitably disposed within the conduits 64 and 66.

Referring to Fig. 8, with the parts in the position therein shown, the heated air or the like will issue simultaneously from the two nozzles 68 and 70, communication with the angularly disposed nozzle 72 being cut out by the valve member 74. By turning the lever 76 and consequently the valve member 74 clockwise the air current in the conduit 2 will be supplied tothe angularly disposed nozzle 72 for face drying, instead of to the hand drying nozzle 70, but a heated air,

current will continue to issue from the nozzle 68 for hand drying purposes.- It will be seen that with this construction the face and hands may be dried simultaneously. The apparatus will preferably be, mounted with 'the lateral or angularly disposed nozzle 72 at a height convenient for face drying, which will bring the nozzles 68 and at a height convenient for hand drying.

I am aware that the invention ma be embodied in other specific forms wit lout de arting from the spirit or essential attrihutes thereof, and I therefore desire the present construction and arrangement to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combinat on, a conduit; two discharge nozzles communicating therewith,the one axially and the other an gularly disposed relative to said conduit; a valve in said conduit adjustable to sup ly heated a r..curren t to the one or the ot er of said nozzles; and means to reduce the velocity of heated air current supplied to said angularly disposed nozzle below that of the air current supplied to said axially disposed nozzle.

2. In hand and face drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, a conduit; two discharge nozzles communicating therewith and positioned relatively to each other and vertically for free access by the user, for face drying and hand drying respectively; a valve in said conduit adjustable to supply heated air current to the one or the other of said nozzles; blower means communicating with sa d conduit; and means to reduce the velocity of heated air current supplied to said face drying nozzle below that of air current supplied to said hand drying nozzle.

3. In hand and face drying ap aratus operating with heated air or the li e, in combination, a conduit; two discharge nozzles communicating therewith and positioned relatively to each other and vertically for free access by the user for face drying and hand drying respectively; valve means in said conduit adjustable to direct heated air current from one of said nozzles and cause it to issuefrom the other; and means to reduce the velocity of heated air current supplied to said face drying nozzle below that of air current supplied to said'hand drying nozzle. r

4. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, two discharge nozzles; a conduit-communicating with said nozzles, one of said nozzles being axially and the other angularly disposed relative to said conduit; means in said conduit adjustable to allow free passage of heated air current to said axially disposed nozzle or to divert heated air current to said angularly disposed nozzle; means to op ose'the issue of heated air current from sai 'angularly disposed nozzle when said first-named means is adjusted to allow free passage of air current to said axially disposed nozzle; and means to reduce the velocity of air current discharged from said angularly disposed nozzle below that of air current discharged from said axially disposed nozzle.

5. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, two discharge nozzles; a conduit communicating with said nozzles, one'of said nozzles being axially and the other angularly disposed relative to said conduit; valve means in said conduit adjustable to allow free passage of heated air current to said axially disposed nozzle or to divert heated air current to said angularly disposed nozzle; and means to oppose the issue of air current from said angularly disposed nozzle when said valve means is adjusted to allow free passage of heated air current to said axially disposed nozzle.

6.. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, two discharge nozzles; a conduit communicating with said nozzles; valve means in said conduit adjustable to allow free passage of heated air current to one of said nozzles or to divert air current to the other; means to oppose the issue of air current from one of said two nozzles when said valve means is adjusted to allow free passage of air current to the other of said two nozzles; and means to reduce the velocity of air current discharged from one of said two nozzles below that of air current discharged from the other of said two nozzles.

7. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, a con duit; two discharge nozzles communicating therewith, the one axially and the other angularly disposed relative to said conduit; a valve in said conduit adjustable to supply heated air current to the one or the other of said nozzles; and blower means communicating with said conduit.

8. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, in combination, a plurality of discharge nozzles supplied with heated air current from suitable heated air current supply passages, two of said nozzles facing each other and axially disposed relative to their heated air current supply passages and another nozzle angularly disposed relative to its heated air current supply passage; and unitary means selectively to supply heated air current to one of said axially disposed nozzles or to said angularly disposed nozzle.

9. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or the like, more particularly .for drying the face and hands, m combination, a heated air supply conduit; a second heated air supply conduit; a discharge nozzle at the free end of each. of said conduits, said nozzles facing each other; a third discharge nozzle opening from the side of said second conduit; and means in said second conduit adjustable to cause heated-jair from said conduit to be discharged either from theend nozzle or from the side nozzle thereof.

10. In drying apparatus operating with heated air or thelike, more particularl for face and hand drying, in combination, a cated air supply conduit; a discharge nozzle at the free end of said conduit; a second heated air supply conduit; adischarge nozzle at the free end of said second conduit anda discharge nozzle opening from the side of the latter, the end nozzles of said two conduits facing each other; means adjustable to cause heated air from said second conduit to be discharged either from the end nozzle or from the side nozzle thereof; and means to reduce the velocity of the heated air discharged from the nozzle opening from the side of said second conduit.

WERNER OTTO. 

